


Take to the Sky

by NeverAndAlways



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Established Poe Dameron/Finn, Family, Finn being a dad, Gen, M/M, Not Beta Read, Parent-Child Relationship, Parenthood, Poe being a dad, Post Mpreg, Rey being a cool aunt, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-30
Updated: 2016-05-30
Packaged: 2018-07-11 05:27:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7030870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeverAndAlways/pseuds/NeverAndAlways
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just something short, sweet, and a little silly. Finn and Poe's daughter flies her first ship...sort of.</p><p>(Re-posted because it wasn't showing up with my other fics)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take to the Sky

**Author's Note:**

> This fic takes place in the same universe as 'Apart, Together' (http://archiveofourown.org/works/5750284/chapters/13249348)

The wide, sandy nothing of Tattooine stretches out under the sun. Dunes and more dunes, whichever way you look, and endless blue overhead. An old Rebel hideout crouches in the midst of it all, shaded by the setting suns; its side door opens, and out walks Finn. This is home - or one of them. He and Poe have little spots like this on several planets. Avia's a growing kid, she needs someplace stable to go to.

Finn squeaks over dry sand. There's a ship standing nearby, a sleek little A-wing fighter. A girl sits in its open cockpit; Rey and Poe are standing under the wing. A speeder sits parked just behind it.

"All set?"

"All set. She's ready to go." Poe smiles. There's a little more gray in his hair than there once was (the consequences of having a twelve-year-old), and there'll probably be even more after today.

Finn sighs. "Alright. Rey?"

Rey nods, flashes them both a smile. She's a little gray too, nowadays, but no less energetic. She scales the side of the craft and slides into the cockpit. Underneath the ship, BB-8 rolls into place. Poe catches its eye.

"Hey. You take care of them, okay buddy?"

The droid whistles a reassuring note before being grabbed and hoisted into the ship's underbelly. Poe watches, arms folded. Finn, meanwhile, follows Rey's path up the side.

Rey is in the copilot's chair - an odd sight all by itself. But even stranger is the sight of his daughter in the pilot's seat. It makes him feel a little faint. She looks up, her face aglow with excitement. He can't help but smile at that.

"Hey, Vee. You ready?"

"Yeah!"

"I bet you are." Finn ruffles her hair. "But remember, you're only going as far as the moisture farm, okay? We'll be right behind you, and Aunt Rey can take over the controls if you need-"

"Papa. I got it."

"...'Course you do." he steps back as the cockpit begins to close. "Knock 'em dead, Vee." then he nods to Rey and - reluctantly - climbs down. Poe meets him at the bottom.

"I thought we weren't gonna fret at her." Poe teases gently.

"Speak for yourself."

They climb into the speeder. And they wait. The ship powers up flawlessly...and sits there.

And sits there.

And just as they're wondering if something's wrong, the engines flare into life, the landing gear retracts, and it lifts off from the sand. It hangs there, engines warbling. And then, suddenly, it's off. The ship glides away over the dunes so fast that Finn can barely turn on the speeder in time to follow it.

Their little speeder is a gnat compared to the A-wing, but they very nearly keep pace with it as it races its shadow over the sand. Poe sits in the passenger seat, every inch a proud dad. Watchful, too. His eyes scan every inch of the craft, taking in every movement and adjustment it makes. He grins when it crests a tall dune and coasts down the leeward side - but Finn knows him well enough to see past that. He risks a glance down. Sure enough, Poe's got the edge of his seat in a white-knuckle grip.

Not that Finn is completely relaxed, of course. That's their little girl in that ship. Even with Rey co-piloting, this is a huge step. The ship banks suddenly to one side, and his heart leaps into his throat until it swerves back. Just ahead, the ground opens up in a wide gash filled with blue shadows. The moisture farm isn't far away now.

The ship's engines flare as it puts on a burst of speed. Poe swears quietly. The downdraft in that gorge will pull you right in if you're not careful, you have to to go slowly - Finn turns the steering wheel so hard that Poe has to hang onto the side of the speeder. It can't fly over the gorge, but there's a bridge close by. Soon they're almost neck-and-neck with the ship, and can see - just barely - Avia and Rey in the cockpit. The winds jostle the little speeder. It's tough to stay on course. Finn looks over at Poe.

"She's doing good!" he has to yell over the wind noise. He's never been so proud of that kid. And neither has Poe, judging by his grin.

A particularly strong gust forces Finn back to the controls. They're halfway across, just keep going straight -

The sound of stuttering engines grabs his attention. He looks up and over to see the ship starting to falter: the downdrafts got it. Poe nearly stands up in his seat, as though he could jump right across the space to help. They can see Avia at the controls, fiercely determined, and Rey giving directions. All they can do is trust her. And that's a little scary.

"C'mon, c'mon-"

The A-wing struggles against the downdraft, going slower and slower even as it guns its engines. And just as the speeder has nearly reached the other side, the ship's engines give up entirely. It drops like a rock. Finn and Poe's hearts drop right along with it.

Finn brings the speeder around in a jarring U-turn at the lip of the gorge. Poe jumps out even before it's stopped moving. "Avia!!" he runs to the edge with Finn on his heels. "Rey!"

The ship lays at the bottom of the gorge, just a hair's breadth from the wall. The nose is buried in sand. Smoke trails from the engines. Finn rolls up his sleeves and starts to lower himself down the wall, half-climbing, half-sliding and falling. Any other time, Poe would have told him off for being reckless. Now, he climbs right down after him.

With their hearts pounding in their chests, Finn and Poe slither down the last few yards and flat-out sprint to the ship. BB-8 looks out of the droid compartment. It's only a little singed, and it whistles urgently to Poe. There's no movement inside the ship.

"BB, can you get the cockpit open?" Poe pants. There's an answering chirp, and the window slides back a little way. A hand sticks out.

"Rey, are you okay?" Finn pulls her out and onto the sand; she's dusty, but whole. She bats him away.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. You take care of your daughter."

Poe is already on it. He yanks the window back the rest of the way to reveal the cockpit, with Avia inside. She's out cold. Acting on instinct, Poe clambers in next to her.

"Vee? Avia?" he tries, unsuccessfully, to keep his voice level. "C'mon, honey, wake up." his hand finds hers and squeezes it. His heart is trying to beat its way past his ribs. "Please."

A few seconds crawl by. Then, finally, Avia stirs. Her eyes open a little, then a bit more. She squints. "Dad?"

"Right here." Poe hears Finn and Rey's sighs of relief behind him. "You okay?"

"...Yeah." Avia scoots upright. Her gaze slides across her dad's face, out of the cockpit and up the wall ot the gorge. She frowns. "Oh. We did crash." but no sooner does Poe open his mouth to say something in consolation, than the frown turns into a grin. And she laughs. The sound echoes off the rocks, triumphant and full of teenage bravado.

Finn and Poe exchange a look of bemusement. Finn shrugs.

"She's your daughter."

Poe shakes his head. She is indeed.

★★★

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked the story, please leave a comment - I'd love to hear from you!


End file.
